Haniyeh Gets Results on Trip

Hamas will open an official office in Turkey in the coming weeks, according to a senior Hamas source cited by Ash-Sharq on Thursday. The source said that during a visit by Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh, Turkey promised Hamas to carry out a support program and rehabilitate it in coordination with Hamas authorities in Gaza. The source said that the financial support will make it easier for Hamas to give up on the income it is losing from Iran becuase of Hamas's refusal to support Iranian puppet Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.

A Saudi daily reported that it was decided during Haniye's visit to Egypt that Hamas security will increase supervision on tunnels used by smugglers between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Egypt and the infiltration of wanted Egyptian criminals to Gaza, to accompany stolen Egyptian vehicles. In exchange, Egyptian authorities promised to ease restrictions on traffic at the Rafah border crossing, including increased hours, an increase in the number of those allowed to use the crossing and looking at the possibility of sending Gaza exports through the crossing.